Raynham has unflagging community spirit

This Veterans Day for the first time, the Four Corners in Raynham will be decked out in a sea of stars and stripes to salute the men and women who have served our country in the armed services.Thanks to an outpouring of support from residents and businesses, RAVE will be moving forward with its plan to decorate ...

By Rebecca Hyman

The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, MA

By Rebecca Hyman

Posted Oct. 4, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 4, 2012 at 4:11 AM

By Rebecca Hyman

Posted Oct. 4, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 4, 2012 at 4:11 AM

Raynham

» Social News

This Veterans Day for the first time, Four Corners in Raynham will be decked out in a sea of stars and stripes to salute the men and women who have served our country in the armed services.

Thanks to an outpouring of support from residents and businesses, RAVE will be moving forward with its plan to decorate Four Corners with dozens of American flags for the big three patriotic holidays — Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Veterans Day, Raynham Association of Volunteers for Education Inc. Vice President Patricia Riley said.

“The support has been inspiring and we really appreciate it. RAVE decided to take on this project because we not only want to honor our veterans and those who serve in our military, but we also want to educate our students in our Raynham schools about the real meaning of our patriotic holidays,” said Riley, who is also the chairman of the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School Committee.

The flag drive is being spearheaded by RAVE’s Salute To Our Veterans Committee, which is also moving forward with plans to organize the town’s first-ever Memorial Day Parade next year.

The plan is to fly three-by-five foot American flags on nine-foot poles up and down both sides of the four streets that intersect by the First Congregational Church, Riley said.

“That four-corner intersection is so appropriate for this because it not only is considered to be the center of town but also is marked with a replica of the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to Raynham native and Sgt. First Class Jared Monti, who was killed while trying to rescue a fellow soldier on the battlefields of Afghanistan,” Riley said.

The goal is to fly ten flags on each side of each street for a total of 80 flags, Riley said.

They would be spaced perhaps 20 feet apart, so Old Glory would line the way for hundreds of feet leading up to the center of town.

“It would be such an impressive sight,” Riley said.

An initial very rough estimate suggests each flag would cost $50 to purchase and put in place, so to fly 80 flags would require raising about $4,000, Riley said.

And the committee is already half way to that goal.

RAVE has raised more than $2,000 since kicking off the effort with a letter writing campaign this summer. That includes a $500 donation from Harbor One in September, the largest contribution to date, Riley said.

The actual number of flags that will decorate the center of town on Veterans Day will depend on how successful the fundraising drive continues to be, Salute To Our Veterans Committee Chairman Sandy Leahy said.

Page 2 of 2 - Raynham Highway Department superintendent Roger Stolte has also offered his department’s assistance with installing the flagpoles on town property along the roadways, Riley said.

Riley said the flag drive is an ongoing effort. Even if the committee doesn’t reach the 80 flag mark by Veterans Day, she’s confident eventually that goal will be achieved.

The flags will be put up and taken down before and after each Patriotic holiday, including Flag Day, 9/11, New Year’s Day and any other appropriate occasion, Riley said. The flagpoles are inserted into cement bases and come out with the flags for storage. When not in use, the holders are capped off.

Riley said she’s not surprised by the strong support in town for the effort.

“I think we’ve always had a lot of patriotism in Raynham. It connects with that volunteer spirit. It’s just incomparable,” Riley said.

The Committee’s next meeting will take place on Monday, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. at the Merrill School. Any interested residents are welcome to attend. Anyone who wishes to make a donation may send a tax-deductible check to RAVE’s “Salute To Our Veterans,” care of the Merrill School, 687 Pleasant St., Raynham MA.